Ilya Firsov – Game Designer Game Jams Portfolio

The game's goal is to survive as long as possible by strategically setting up defenses. The number of defensive buildings and passive upgrades is limited. Players are encouraged to experiment with different combinations and placements for optimal results.

My objective was to create a rollercoaster of emotions where players oscillate between high and low moments. This approach helps establish a balanced game flow where players don’t feel bored or overwhelmed

A. Tense moments when a player is on the brink of losing
B. Moments when a player feels powerful

To create the "B" scenarios, I designed super-upgrades that significantly boost a player’s power, attainable through specific upgrade combinations

Situation "A" is achieved by designing complex enemy waves and slowing down the enemies. This creates scenarios where the player is encircled by enemies but still has time to obtain a super-upgrade and turn the tide

It was crucial to monitor when the player encounters extremely difficult waves and the timing of super-upgrades to maintain the right pace. I dedicated half of the jam to playtesting and balancing the game to achieve this

We secured 93rd place in the "Fun" category, a remarkable achievement considering the jam featured 2902 games from 8494 unique authors!

The player's objective is to reach the bottom of the ocean to retrieve treasure. To descend, players must collect crystals and upgrade their submarine

In this section, I want to highlight how I created tension in the game through a synergy of crystal mining and darkness mechanics.

As players engage in crystal mining, their ability to survey the surroundings is restricted. Each passing second during mining escalates the suspense as the likelihood of a monster attack grows. This results in a heightened sense of tension, culminating in either the successful acquisition of the crystal, bringing relief, or the need to stop mining and start the process again

We achieved 297th place in "Mood" and 357th in "Theme" categories out of 3866 games created by 10834 unique authors – quite an accomplishment!